Support from ARU before you apply/as an applicant

Whether you're just starting to think about higher education, seeking advice about student finance or writing a successful personal statement, the Outreach Team is here to help.

Our email address is [email protected] – if you have any questions, let us know!

Headshot of Jade Mott

Jade Mott is the named Schools and Colleges Engagement Officer (Outreach) for Care Leavers or Care Experienced applicants at ARU. Jade works with Year 6–13 students, supporting them to explore their educational journey and career options, and in researching and applying to university too.

If you have specific questions for Jade please contact her via [email protected]


Other members of the Outreach Team are:

  • Georgie Long (Cambridge)
  • Meenujah Logasounthiran (Chelmsford)
  • Georgia Downs (Chelmsford)
  • Katie Jardine (Peterborough)

Our Outreach Team offers activities and events which are open to all, as well as activities which are exclusive to care leaver/care experienced students in Years 6-13.

Some of these events need to be booked by a teacher or carer, and some you can book yourself.

We organise:

  • Open days
  • Subject and University taster sessions
  • Campus tours and visits
  • Conferences
  • Talks about how to choose a course, student finance, personal statements and more…

We also visit schools and colleges to talk about applying to university and the support on offer. Find out more on our Schools and Colleges pages.

If you would like to attend an event, get help completing your UCAS application, or information and advice about anything related to higher education, please email [email protected].

You may get special consideration in the admissions process, and we can support you throughout. This includes support (if needed) to prepare for interviews or submit portfolios.

If you would like any advice or support, please email [email protected]

Please tick the ‘in care’ box on your UCAS application to let us know that you have been in care for three months or more.

This doesn't put you at a disadvantage, in fact, it puts you at an advantage. We'll be in touch to tell you about all the support that's available once you start studying here (should you want it – we appreciate that everyone is different!).

Three reasons to tick the 'in care' box on UCAS

If you’ve been in local authority care on or after your 16th birthday, you'll be eligible for University-managed accommodation throughout your studies.

We offer University-managed accommodation in Cambridge and Chelmsford:

As a Care Leaver you are also eligible for 365-day accommodation in University-managed accommodation throughout your studies (regardless of whether you start your course in September or January).

This will be made up of two contracts each year. For example if you start a course in September, you'll have an initial let (September-June) and a summer let (June-September). You may be required to move rooms between lets, but please be assured you won't be left without accommodation at any point.

To guarantee a room in your first year:

  • apply for accommodation by 30 June
  • tell our Residential Service Team that you are a Care Leaver and provide the relevant evidence. To do this email [email protected] if you're planning to study in Cambridge, or [email protected] if you're planning to study in Chelmsford
  • firmly accepted ARU as your first choice.

If you speak to Residential Services after 30 June, we'll do our best to accommodate you. However, we cannot guarantee a place in ARU-managed accommodation in your first year.

We ask for a £300 deposit to secure accommodation. If you're struggling to pay this, please email Debbie on [email protected] or call 01245 684288 to discuss if we can defer payment until you receive your student funding.

If you are planning on moving into the private sector, we are unable to move the due date for any deposits, but in exceptional circumstances we may be able to pay any Care Leaver’s Bursary early.

When you start studying at ARU, your main point of contact changes from the Outreach Team to our Student Experience Team.

Every year, we run a Welcome event to:

  • introduce you to the team
  • explain the support that's available
  • link you up with other students at ARU who are Care Leavers/Care Experienced.

If you ticked the box on your UCAS form, or have contacted the Outreach Team directly, we'll automatically invite you to an event. Events usually take place just before you're due to start at ARU.

If you didn’t tick the box on your UCAS form but are joining ARU and would like to be included in our next event, please email [email protected].

We welcome enquiries from carers, personal advisors, support workers and teachers who are helping young people to transition to higher education. We also run an annual conference for foster carers, designated members of staff and other care professionals.

For more information, please email [email protected].